This invention relates generally to entryway systems for homes and commercial buildings an more specifically to door frame assemblies incorporating continuous thresholds to which vertically extending jambs and perhaps mull posts are attached.
Entryway systems used in building construction generally include a pair of vertically extending door jambs and a head jamb that frame the entryway and receive a hinged door. An elongated threshold assembly is attached at its ends to the bottoms of the door jambs and spans the bottom of the entryway. Many modern threshold assemblies include an extruded aluminum frame having an upwardly open channel from which a sill slopes outwardly and downwardly. A threshold cap, which may be made of plastic or wood, is disposed in the upwardly open channel and underlies a closed door mounted of the entryway. The threshold cap usually is vertically adjustable within its channel to engage and form a seal with a flexible sweep attached to the bottom of the door.
Some entryways include sidelights that flank the door on one or both sides thereof. In such sidelight entryways, mullions or mull posts rest on and extend vertically from the top of the threshold assembly to the head jamb of the entryway. The mull posts along with the jambs and head jamb define the door opening or openings and the sidelight openings of the entryway. Many variations of this basic theme such as, for example, patio door entryways, inswing entryways, and outswing entryways are available to accommodate an equal number of variations of entryway designs.
Traditionally, the bottoms of door jambs, which usually are made of wood, are matted and attached to the ends of the threshold assembly by milling a specially shaped angled jamb haunch or tenon in the bottoms of the jambs and fitting and stapling or screwing the bottoms of the jambs to the assembly. A portion of the haunch overlaps and sits atop the sloped sill of the threshold assembly. The problems with this traditional construction technique are many. For instance, since virtually every brand and style of threshold assembly has a different cross-sectional profile, the jamb haunches in each case must be precisely and specially milled to fit the profile of the particular threshold assembly to which they are to be attached. This means that pre-hangers must own and operate expensive and accurate milling machinery and must maintain a number of different shaped milling cutters to accommodate the various configurations of threshold assemblies. This is also true for the bottoms of mull posts, which must be provided with an angled bottom cut specially shaped to rest atop the sloped sill of the threshold assembly.
Another problem with traditional entryway construction techniques relates to the fact that the end grain of the wooden jambs and mull posts rests directly on the sub-floor and/or sill deck. Thus, moisture from rainwater and the like that may seep or form beneath the ends of the jambs and mull posts wicks into the wood of these components causing rot and decay. A further problem is that water that may seep under the threshold cap of the assembly and into the upwardly open channel in which it resides tends to migrate to and puddle at the ends of the channel against the bottom portions of the wooden jambs. There it gradually soaks into the wood of the jambs, also causing eventual rot and deterioration.
Thus, a need exists for an improved entryway system that addresses and solves the problems and shortcomings of the prior art. Such an entryway system should eliminate the need for specially milled jambs and mull posts in order to fit these elements to the wide variety of available threshold assembly profiles, should eliminate the rotting and deterioration that typically occurs at the bottoms of jambs and mull posts where they meet the threshold assembly, and should provide for the efficient draining away of water that may seep beneath the threshold cap of the threshold assembly or otherwise form or collect in the upwardly open channel of the threshold. In addition, the system should provide for standardization of jamb and mull post lengths and should accommodate jambs and mull posts with simple square cut bottom ends. Finally, the system should provide for simple, efficient, and accurate assembly by a pre-hanger and should present an aesthetically pleasing appearance that is appealing to a homeowner. It is to the provision of such an entryway system that the present invention is primarily directed.
Briefly described, the present invention, in one preferred embodiment thereof, comprises an improved entryway system that eliminates the problems with traditional prior art entryways and entryway construction techniques. The entryway system comprises an elongated continuous threshold assembly that preferably is made of extruded aluminum formed with an upwardly open channel from which a downwardly and outwardly sloping sill extends. A vertically adjustable threshold cap is disposed in at least a portion of the channel for underlying a closed door of the entryway.
A jamb boot is attached to each end of the threshold assembly for receiving and mating with the bottom of a respective one of the vertically extending door jambs of the entryway. Each jamb boot preferably is made of injection molded plastic and is pre-formed with an angled tenon or haunch that is configured precisely to fit and rest on the sill deck of the particular threshold assembly to which the jamb boot is attached. In this regard, the jamb boot resembles the milled bottom end of a traditional wooden jamb. Each jamb boot preferably is shaped with a cross-sectional profile that corresponds essentially to the cross-sectional profile of a door jamb and attached brick mold. However, the jamb boots may be formed with a profile that does not include a brick mold portion if desired. Each jamb boot extends upwardly a short distance from the end of the end of the threshold assembly and terminates in an upper face or surface. The upper surfaces of the jamb boots are substantially flat (although calking grooves or other features may be formed in the upper surfaces if desired) and are formed to lie in a horizontal plane or planes with the threshold assembly resting on a level surface.
The jamb boots of this invention are pre-attached and sealed with silicone sealant or other appropriate adhesive to the ends of the threshold assembly by a threshold assembly manufacturer before shipping the threshold assembly to a pre-hanger for incorporation into a completed entryway system. At the pre-hanger""s facilities, wooden jambs are prepared for attachment to the threshold assembly simply by square cutting the bottoms of the jambs. The square-cut jamb bottoms are then mated to the substantially flat top surface of the corresponding jamb boots, and attached to the boots preferably with screws extending through the bottom of the jamb boots and into the ends of the jambs. In one embodiment, strategically positioned alignment nibs and a step are formed in the upper surface of the jamb boots to align the bottoms of the jambs precisely with their jamb boots before the jambs are attached. In this way, proper alignment is essentially automatic and a pre-hanger may assemble an entryway quickly and efficiently without special jigs and on a simple horizontal assembly table.
In one embodiment, each of the jamb boots is formed with an internal drain channel that receives collected water from the ends of the upwardly open channel of the sill and directs the water to the outside face of the jamb boot, where the water drains away from the entryway. Thus, water that may seep or form beneath the threshold cap is harmlessly drained away and does not collect beneath the threshold cap. The jamb boots also may be formed without this draining feature if desired.
The entryway system of the invention also includes injection molded plastic mull post boots for use with sidelight or other types of entryways where mull posts are employed. The mull post boots also are pre-formed with an angled bottom surface that precisely matches the angle of and sits atop the sill deck and each mull post boot has a substantially flat level top surface. As with the attachment of jambs, wooden mull posts are attached to the threshold assembly by square cutting their bottoms, mating the bottoms of the mull posts with the flat level tops of the mull post boots, and attaching the mull posts with screws that extend through the mull post boots from below and into the bottoms of the mull posts. A traditional head jamb or header is attached with staples or screws to the tops of the jambs and mull posts to complete the frame of the entryway. A door or doors may be hung in the frame and, where applicable, sidelights may be mounted in the frame in the traditional way to complete the pre-hanging process and the entryway. The completed entryway may then be shipped to a construction site for installation.
In one embodiment for use with traditional milled-bottom jambs, the jamb boots do not extend upwardly from the ends of their threshold assembly. Instead, a thin plastic plate, which preferably is shaped to match the profile of the jamb and perhaps an attached brick mold, extends outwardly from the ends of the threshold and rests on a sub-floor when the threshold assembly is installed. In this embodiment, the bottom end of a traditional wooden jamb rests atop the plastic plate and not directly on the sub-floor to prevent moisture wicking into the end grain. Preferably, the upper surface of the plate is formed to define a shallow reservoir beneath the end of the jamb and a weep hole is provided at the forward edge of the plate. In this way, water that does collect beneath the end of a jamb does not engage the jamb bottom but, instead, resides in the shallow reservoir until it can drain out through the weep hole. Thus, rotting of jamb bottoms due to water wicking is substantially eliminated.
It thus will be seen that a unique entryway system is now provided that, in one embodiment, eliminates the requirement to mill the bottoms of door jambs and mull posts with specially configured haunches and angled ends to match the particular threshold assembly being used in the entryway. Accordingly, pre-hangers need not maintain and operate expensive end-milling machinery to mill the bottoms of jambs and mull posts. Further, the jamb and mull post boots of the invention are sized and configured such that standard length square-cut jambs and mull posts may be used with an entire line of threshold assemblies for various types of entryway systems. Thus, the need to stock different length jambs and mull posts for use with different threshold assemblies is eliminated. Since the jamb and mull post boots are formed of plastic, water that may collect or seep beneath them never reaches the wood of the attached jambs and mull posts. Accordingly, rotting and deterioration common with traditional entryway systems is eliminated. Finally, the draining feature in one embodiment of the jamb boots ensures that water does not collect in the channel beneath the threshold cap of the assembly. These and other features, objects, and advantages of the entryway system of this invention will become more apparent upon review of the detailed description set for below when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures, which are briefly described as follows.